Cells Webinar | Molecular Mechanisms of Exercise and Healthspan II
Webinar Information
7th Webinar on Cells
Molecular Mechanisms of Exercise and Healthspan II
Exercise is increasingly being recognized as a broadly effective intervention for the preservation of long-term functionality during the aging process, leading to the popularization of the phase “exercise is medicine”. Chronic exercise lowers the risk of many age-related diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and several forms of cancer. Exercise is also generally thought to preserve basic mobility, cognitive function, and circadian rhythms, as well as contribute to psychological health. Despite the many benefits of chronic exercise, the mechanistic requirements for these benefits to accrue are still not fully understood, and are a highly active research topic. As many patients are unable to execute demanding exercise programs, the identification of downstream mechanistic targets to deliver the benefits of chronic exercise pharmaceutically has a transformative potential for the treatment of age-related disease and for the maintenance of healthy aging. In this Special Issue, we examine recent findings in diverse model systems that increase our understanding of the molecular outputs of exercise, as well as their requirements for the myriad benefits that exercise provides. This webinar features several eminent experts in the field of exercise and healthspan.
Dr. Robert Wessells
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit, United States
Date: 21 May 2021
Time: 3:00 pm CEST
Webinar ID: 949 6722 0681
Webinar Secretariat: cells.webinar@mdpi.com
Chair: Dr. Robert Wessells
The following experts will present and talk:
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Dr. Robert Wessells, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, United States |
Dr. Robert Wessells is an Associate Professor of Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Wessells graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from Miami University in 1993 before acquiring a PhD in Molecular Genetics from Ohio State University in 2000. He received postdoctoral training in fruit fly genetics and physiology at the University of Michigan and the Burnham Institute for Biomedical Research before taking his present position in 2006. His research interests focus on cardiac senescence; effects of exercise training on functional aging; insulin/TOR signaling; and fatty acid transporters. |
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Dr. Monica Driscoll, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, New Brunswick, United States |
Monica Driscoll received her AB degree in Chemistry from Douglass College in 1979 and earned a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Harvard University in 1985, studying molecular and genetic regulation of gene expression in a yeast model system. She pursued postdoctoral studies in the lab of Dr. Martin Chalfie at Columbia University, where she began her work on the simple animal model C. elegans, focusing on deciphering molecular mechanisms of mechanotransduction and necrotic neuronal degeneration. She joined the faculty of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Rutgers University in 1991, where she is currently appointed as a Distinguished Professor. Her lab now studies the basic biology of aging with a focus molecular mechanisms of healthspan extension via genetic, chemical, and exercise interventions. Neuronal proteostasis and anti-neurodegeneration mechanisms are major research interests. |
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Dr. Patrick Mueller, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, United States |
Dr. Mueller obtained an undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University in Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences; followed by postdoctoral training at the Medical College of Wisconsin and University of Missouri-Columbia; then a position as a Research Assistant Professor at the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology of Wayne State University. The goal of the research in Dr. Mueller's laboratory is to learn more about how the brain controls the heart and blood vessels and, therefore, its role in determining arterial blood pressure and organ blood flow. In particular, they are interested in how the brain adapts its control of the cardiovascular system to various physiological and pathophysiological states. Currently, they examine how periods of active versus sedentary conditions contribute to neuroplasticity brainstem neurons that regulate the cardiovascular system. |
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Dr. Changhan Lee, University of Southern California, Longevity Institute, Los Angeles, United States |
Dr. Lee is a biogerontologist with specific expertise on peptides, mitochondria, and metabolism. He discovered a novel peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and named it MOTS-c (Mitochondrial Open-reading-frame within the Twelve S rRNA)(Cell Metabolism 2015). Earlier in his career, he was trained as a bacterial geneticist and published a transposon-based method to “hunt” for regulatory genes in bacteria. This training was imperative to his discovery of small bacterium-like mitochondrial genes that yield bioactive peptides, including MOTS-c. His lab revealed that MOTS-c regulates cellular homeostasis and increases physical capacity and healthy lifespan (Nature Communications 2021; Cell Metabolism 2021). His lab also discovered that MOTS-c is a first-in-class mitochondrion-encoded factor that can actively regulate the nuclear genome, indicating cross-regulation of the co-evolved mitonuclear genomes (Cell Metabolism 2018). His group is identifying other mitochondrion-encoded peptides and unveiling their molecular functions and fundamental roles in aging. Owing to novel theories on the origin of mitochondria and experimental data emerging from his lab, his team is very interested in mitochondrion-encoded longevity genes. |
Program
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Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CEST |
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Dr. Robert Wessells Chair Introduction |
3:00 – 3:10 pm |
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Dr. Monica Driscoll Even a 959-Cell Organism Can Benefit From Exercise |
3:10 – 3:30 pm |
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Dr. Patrick Mueller (In)Activity-Related Neuroplasticity in Blood Pressure Regulation |
3:30 – 3:50 pm |
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Short Break and Discussion |
3:50 – 4:10 pm |
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Dr. Robert Wessells Chronic Exercise Slows Disease Progression in Drosophila Models of SCA |
4:10 – 4:30 pm |
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Dr. Changhan Lee Mitochondria: Powerhouse, Slaughterhouse, and Speaker of the House |
4:30 – 4:50 pm |
|
Short Break and Discussion |
4:50 – 5:10 pm |
|
Closing of Webinar |
5:10 – 5:20 pm |
Webinar Content
On Friday, 21 May 2021, MDPI and the Journal Cells organized the second part of the webinar on Cells, entitled "Molecular Mechanisms of Exercise and Healthspan".
The introduction was held by the Chair of the webinar, Dr. Robert Wessells, an Associate Professor of the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, United States. His research interests focus on cardiac senescence; effects of exercise training on functional aging; insulin/TOR signaling; and fatty acid transporters. He also held the third presentation of the webinar, entitled "Chronic Exercise Slows Disease Progression in Drosophila Models of SCA".
The first speaker to quick off this webinar was Dr. Monica Driscoll. She joined the faculty of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Rutgers University in 1991, where she is currently appointed as a Distinguished Professor. Her lab now studies the basic biology of aging with a focus molecular mechanisms of healthspan extension via genetic, chemical, and exercise interventions. Neuronal proteostasis and anti-neurodegeneration mechanisms are major research interests. Her presentation was entitled "Even a 959-Cell Organism Can Benefit From Exercise".
The second presentation with the title "(In)Activity-Related Neuroplasticity in Blood Pressure Regulation" was held by Dr. Patrick Mueller from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, United States. The goal of the research in Dr. Mueller's laboratory is to learn more about how the brain controls the heart and blood vessels and, therefore, its role in determining arterial blood pressure and organ blood flow. In particular, they are interested in how the brain adapts its control of the cardiovascular system to various physiological and pathophysiological states. Currently, they examine how periods of active versus sedentary conditions contribute to neuroplasticity brainstem neurons that regulate the cardiovascular system.
Dr. Changhan Lee from the University of Southern California, Longevity Institute in Los Angeles, United States was the fourth and last speaker of this webinar. His presentation was entitled "Mitochondria: Powerhouse, Slaughterhouse, and Speaker of the House". Dr. Lee is a biogerontologist with specific expertise on peptides, mitochondria, and metabolism. He discovered a novel peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and named it MOTS-c (Mitochondrial Open-reading-frame within the Twelve S rRNA)(Cell Metabolism 2015). His lab also discovered that MOTS-c is a first-in-class mitochondrion-encoded factor that can actively regulate the nuclear genome, indicating cross-regulation of the co-evolved mitonuclear genomes (Cell Metabolism 2018).
The presentations were followed by a Q&A and a discussion, moderated by the Chair. The webinar was offered via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found here on Sciforum website. In order to stay updated on the next webinars on Cells, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking on “Subscribe” at the top of the page.
Relevant Special Issues
Molecular Mechanisms of Exercise and Healthspan
Guest Editor: Dr. Robert Wessells
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
